Managing high performance

There are numerous practices that Westerners should be aware of when dealing with Japanese people. Americans should try to avoid physical contact with Japanese such as backslapping or elbow jostling because it makes them uncomfortable (Super-business). Westerners should also be aware that in the presence of tatami flooring people must take their shoes off. Family values are very important in Japan and people are taught to respect their elders. A bow is the traditional gesture between the Japanese, but Westerners are typically greeted by a handshake (Culturegrams, 2012). The Japanese culture is group oriented. Managers working in corporations in Japan always seek harmony and they try to avoid conflict. Negative criticism is typically avoided and when given is in a manner that is palatable to the recipient (Super-business).
The use of teamwork is a practice that is used more in Japan than in the United States. This makes more feasible and effective to implement group incentives to raise the performance of the employees. One of the cons of teams in Japan is that teams seek the approval of upper management instead of making their own decisions. This dependency for approval hurts the creativity of teams. Japanese visualize teamwork as an essential element of their culture. Competition is more likely to occur in the United States than in Japan due to the differences in culture. “ The society in Japan is largely homogeneous and middle class, whereas the American society is heavily heterogeneous, owing to the increased levels of immigration” (Differencebetween, 2010). Diversity influences the workplace more in the United States than in Japan.
References
Culturegrams. com (2012). Japan. Retrieved April 5, 2012 from http://www. culturegrams. com
Differencebetween. net (2010). Difference Between Japanese and American Culture. Retrieved April 5, 2012 from http://www. differencebetween. net/language/difference-between-japanese-and-american-culture/
Super-business. net. Cultural Aspects of Japan, the United States and Europe. Retrieved April 5, 2012 from http://www. super-business. net/Intercultural-Management/292. html